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First CCC workers in front of the Bryson City, NC park office

Date

1933

Creator

Needham, John T.

Description

In 1933, this group of CCC recruits is starting out in Bryson City, North Carolina. Recruits, who came from all over, were assigned to one of the 22 camps located in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in ... more

In 1933, this group of CCC recruits is starting out in Bryson City, North Carolina. Recruits, who came from all over, were assigned to one of the 22 camps located in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in 1933 as a public works program during the Great Depression. CCC recruits were limited to single men between the ages of 18 and 25. They received a payroll of $30/month, but had to send $25 of that home to their families. Each camp housed approximately 200 men. There were 22 camps located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. less

Rights

Creative Commons Atrribution 3.0 License

Partner

Clemson University Libraries; Great Smoky Mountains National Park; South Carolina Digital Library

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While there were many relief programs aimed to put Americans back to work, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had the unique goal of preserving the country’s natural resources through the establishment of conservation jobs. This meant that more than three million men between 1933 and 1942 went to work in the parks and forests performing tasks such as “planting trees, building flood barriers, fighting fires, and maintaining roads and trails.” One of the legacies of the CCC was that over three billion trees were planted in just nine years.

The CCC not only showed that the federal government valued protecting the environment, but also that many government agencies could join together in the face of national struggle to create a stronger nation. The Department of Labor recruited young men, the War Department trained them, and the Department of Agriculture decided on and managed the specific jobs of the workers. The work of these young men would become the foundations of the National Parks.